The Southland Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. MONDAY, NOVEMBER, 23RD, 1891.

Southland Times, Issue 11900, 23 November 1891, Page 2

The Southland Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. MONDAY, NOVEMBER, 23RD, 1891.

Within the churches at least tbe days of unconventional preaabing have pretty nearly passed away. Almost the lo9t gleam of the quaint and venturesome old style shone out at the beginning ot Mr Spurgeon's minif-try, and disappeared, possibly under the frown of modern criticism. It is well to preserve the dignity and decorum of the pnlpit, and these certainly are in peril wlteti deviation from the well-trodden paths is essayed by any but the pos&essors of very unique powers. Yet now and th j n the liberty is 'aken with unquestionable success. An instance in point w.is a seemingly unpremeditated excursus indulged in by the venerable minister of Knox Church, Dunßdin, on a recent Sunday. Dr Stuart was lecturing from some verses in Proverbs on the subject of " Instruction," and was leading up to a cunning but benevolent appeal on behalf of the Free Library contemplated for Dunedin. The family, he told his j audience, was the first school, and he described tris root institution with those glowing and happy touches which his sense of its supreme valae inspired. Next to the family catno the common school, and the Parish School of Scotland as the best type of all good schools, with its earnest and learned teachers who were the real builders up of the Scotchmen that had gone forth and conquered ( in every country under the sun. And now the Doctor's foot was on the heather, and tbere rose up before him, as the third great factor in the natioual character, the ancient Parish Kirk of his country. Seldom ha 9 a more vivid picture been drawn of the gathering on Sabbath mornings rtmnd the venerable building, from all corners of the parish, and the frieDdly converse in which old and young indulged. The spirit of the past had been cjnjured up and every word of the preacher was with eloquence and power. A Prebbyterian communion service was passed in review, in itssevere simplicity — by far the most imposing rite in the whole circle of ceremonial of the universal church. The Marquis of Breadalbane, an elder on one side of the Communion Tabl«>, aDd his Bervant, an elder on the other, testified to the grand democracy of the Presbyterian order. A listener might have heard the tread of fcbe dispensers, of "the elements," and the plaintive, if rude, melody that always preceded the celebration. But another burst was to come. Another great educator was in the Doctor's eye &i it roamed again over the Perthshire hills and dwelt upon the uplands and valleys, The life of tbe Herd, led by so many Scotsmen in their youth, was appealed to as opening up avenues of instruction, denied to the dwellers in towns but inestimable as furnisbisg the lad with ideas nobler and more inspiring than he could catch from books. The whole realm of Nature was beforehim,with its numerous inhabitants inviting his scrutiny. The cows once warned from the growing corn and browsing in the hills, tbe young custodian bad leisure to throw hiniKelf on Nature and penetrate all her secrets. The tree, the shrub, the flower, the nest of the lintie, and the byke ol the bee, the haunt of everything that walked or flew or swam, were his to discover and eDjoy. And the berries that grew all around him were there to stay at least the hanger that the keen air engendered and that only the boy can know. The taste for and knowledge of natural history which these oppor tunities afforded were greater than school or university could bestow, 7 he whole episode, so rapidly constructed, made up a perfect Scottish Idyll, and if off the lines of ordinary pulpit exhortation, we are sure went to the heart of the great assemblage that listened, and struck no chord oat of keeping with reverence and devotion. It is not f^r every preacher to wander into tho6e paths, and iv not many cases might the deviation be appreciated or condoacd, but it would be both hard and unwise to e'eny such a privilege to the few wluae genius enables them to use it aright. It is only ten da^ c since the cable brought news of Lord Salisbury's assurance that on tbe politic al horizon there was not oae speck indicating the ap •

>roach of war. The message seemed I trange, coming immediately upon co | nany signs that appeared rather to jresage the speedy breaking up of the jeace of Europe ; but the dictum of the Foreign Secretary, the highest authority >n such a sabject, wan of course received without question, and all minor prophets bad to hide their heads. It is remarkable, however, that nearly every announcement since that high pacific aseurance was given has been of a disturbing character, andjias epoken of preparations for war. There is not one of the Great Powers that has not been borrowing or fortifyißg, or adding in some fashion to its naval or military strength ; and diplomatic proceedings have worn so ominous an aspect as to require the categorical declaration on behalf of more than one Government that nothing was intended but the preservation of the general peace. The situation at leaet is full of interest, and developments will be anxiously watched throughout the world. The main question seems to be regarding the relations to one another of Russia and Germany, and the existence or prospect of a Franco-Russian A Uiance. Germany is credited, on account of certain movements, with the intention of striking a blow at Kussia while she is in the throes of famine ; and, as the Triple Alliance stands, this would mean no doubt a united attack on Russia by the three Great Powers allied. The remarkable rapprochement of Russia and France, although the endeavonr has often been made to explain it consistently witii peace, may mean after all that these two Powers intend to stand by one another against Germany and her allies ; and the invitation of the French Fleet to Portsmouth has been interpreted as signifying a desire on the part of teng land to keep asunder the two yreat peace- breakers of Europe. It is impossible to decline taking note of these things, even when the word of Lord Salisbury has been given in favor of continued peace. Anditia worth while remembering that in 1870 ,when Lord Uran- ! viile took the office of Foreign Secretary, rendered vacant by the death of Lord Clarendon, the Under- Secretary was said to have assured his new Chief that there was not a cload to be seen in the European sky. Europe was then, notwitlibtinding, on the very eve of the throat Frarco-Prnenian wnr, the Hohenzollern cloud, born of the Spanish Succession, being just about to appear above tbe horizon. The news, telegraphed last Friday from Dunedin, of the death of tbe Hon. James Fulton, will be received throughout the colony with a feeling of the deepest regret. Whether we regard his lengthened connection with Otagoor his services as acolonial politician, Mr Fulton was a man of mark, and be was intimately associated with the public movements of his day, He might have been a Cabinet Minister had ho been willing to accept office, and when raised, an he was recently, to a seat in the Upper House, his appointm> nt was one that men of every party felt to be thorough y deserved- While possessed of excellent abilities, it waa probably his weight of character that gave Mr Fulton his greatest hold on the public esteem. A man of high and avowed Christian principle, he was conspicuous for integrity and honesty of purpose, and his adherence to any party was felt to be a tower of strength. On account of these qualities he was one of those whom the Legislature at the present crisis was least able to spare. Mr Fulton waa in Parliament the acknowledged leader of the Bible-in Schools party, and hi devoted much of his strength and in fluonce to forwarding tbeir cause. His speech in introducing a bill some sessions ago for the restoration of the Bi;>le to its old place in the schools will be long remeinbored for its clearness and power, He was a warm friend also of the Temperance cause and was ever on the alert to speak a word in its favour. In general politics he held constitutional views and was dead against tbe empirical legislation that had begun to prevail. It is not too much to say that in Mr Fulton we had the beau-ideal of a colonial politician, aad it would have been well for the country if more after his model had been left behind.

Cablegrams. — These English paper 9 keep pegging away at the policy of the Great Liberal Varty in New Zealand in a most aggravating fashion. Lord Carrington is being rudely handled for his Bristol speech. There is no hope for Victorian loans at present in England. Emm Pasha seema to have developed into a perfect tire-eater. Fonseca is said to be dying ; his power is certainly waning. The rebels of Rio Grande have successfully resisted an attack by gunboats. It is denied that any treaty has been arranged between France and Russia, but it is admitted that there is an understanding between the Powers. Quite a romance is disclosed in the account of the arrest of two Englishmen in Honolulu and a subsequent message from Sydney where it is supposed that the travelling gents are two 4< skipped " directors of a company that smashed some time ago. A Peterhead man is trying to float a company to exploit the Antarctic for whales. He only seeks L 20,000, yet here we are within ten days steaming of the field and do not invest twenty-five shillings in the industry. Russia has stopped the export of wheat : this should give the markets a rillip. France wants 50 warship 3 {for the Mediterranean. Mr Lewis, a New Zealand Government official, not unknown in Invercargill, has died in Sydney. Influenza is general throughout Europe. The arbitrators on the English carpenters' dispute have not given satisfaction to the men. The U.-S.S. Co. 'sTalune struck a rock on the Tasmanian coast, but was sound enough to continue the voyage to New Zear land. To Hastes Federation.— The Dunedin Star of Friday reports that information had been received in that city to the fetlect that the Government of New South Wales propose levying duties on imported produce on Ist December. Acknowledgment. — The secretary of the Sixpenny Clothing Club desires to acknowledge with thanks, the receipt, per Mr Ball of South Invercargill, of the sum of eight shillings and sixpence, being a surplus from a social entertainment recently tendered to Mr J. W. Kelly, M.H.R. Southland Hospital. — In-patients remaining from previous week, 15 males and 7 females; admitted during the week, 2 males and 2 females; discharged during the week, 1 male and 1 female ; remaining in the institution, 16 males and 8 females; outpatients treated during the week, 18 males and 11 females. The secretary acknowledges, with thanks, receipt of 11s from the hospital boxes at the water tower. What Next. — A cavalry magazine rifle has been invented by Capt. Peel of the Ist Life Guards and successfully experimented with. The rifle is placed below the horse, the muzzle projecting a little beyond the breast. It is fired by the bridle hand of the rider from the saddle and his fighting fist is thus left free for the use of the sword, lance or revolver. He heads his horse straight for his opponent and pulls the string,

The Spoils to the Victors. — Within ' eighteen months of the election of President Harrison, 28,892 United States postal officials were removed and their places filled by friends of the party in power, leaving ODly 400 postmasters unmolested. As every official knows that he will have but a few years' tenure of office he makes hay while the sun shines, A Bathint, Luxury. — The Nautilus house bath bears some resemblance to the shell of the fish of that name. The bottom is curved fore and aft like the runners of a rocking horse, but more sharply at the ends so that the water cannot shoot out on the floor. In use the bather reclines in the bath fold sets up a " head up heels up " motion. The water of course rushes back and forth, along and over the body and being checked just beyond the head and feet of the bather, pours over his shoulders and limbs like a miniature comber on a beach. It is said to be an excellent and exhilarating substitute for sea bathing for those who cannot stand exposure in the " briny," and a couple of buckets of sea water are ample for use in it. St. Paul's Presbyterian Church.— Yesterday being the third anniversary of the Rev. George Lindsay's settlement as pastor of the congregation, the occasion was celebrated by special services. The Rev. Dr Watt, Professor of Theology, preached morning and evening, the church being well tilled at both diets, but especially so at night. The reverend gentleman took for his forenoon's text verses 42 and 43 of the 23rd chapter of Luke — the dying thief's petition on the cross and Our Lord's reply — and as the basis of the evening discourse the 35th verse of the Bth chapter of Mark — " For whosoever will save his life shall lose it ; but whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it." Both sermons, it will be understood by those who have had the privilege of hearing Dr Watt, were masterly expositions of the passages, full of robust religious instruction and earnest Christian counsel. In the afternoon the Rev. Mr Taylor, of St. Paul's Wesleyan Church, addressed the Sabbath school. Successful Co-operation. -The eleventh annual report of the South Canterbury Farmers' Co-operative Association shows a satisfactory profit for the year of L 7500. Of the receipts L 2689 is from commission, L 1942 from storage, and L 5640 profits on merchandise. The directors propose a dividend of 8 per cent on the capital, and 7 per cent on ehareholders' account.", and to place L2OOO to the reserve. During the year the premises have been enlarged, and the erection of another large grain store has been determined on. At the Association's meeting the chairman stated the gross turnover had been L 207,000. He spoke strongly against the high railway rates, and said the farmers only kept in the swim at all by the generous yields they get, but these were being reduced by ruinous over-cropping. They must get the railway rates reduced and farm better. He said farmers needed a stringent adulteration law, especially for manures. — A shareholder recommended the directors to consider whether they could not arrange to take charge of the frozen meat business at the other end, making advances here from British capital. The retiring directors were re-elected. Carriage Harness. — Formerly when goods of this class of the first quality were required the custom was to send to England or America for them, but that this is unnecessary, and that they can be turned out by local tradesmen of a quality and workmanship and at a price that will compare very favourably with the best imported articles, is abundantly evidenced by a splendid turn-out of carriage harness for two horses just completed by Mr J. H. Kissell, of Dee street, Invercargill. The workmanship throughout (all hand sewn) is of the most substantial description, and this, combined with the quality of the leather — best English — and of the mountings which are sterling silver and steel make up a set of trappings which should,as the maker states, stand the wear of a lifetime an! be the pride of the owner for the same period. The silver ornaments and artistic leather work greatly enhance the appearance of the harness and on the whole Mr Kissell deserves great credit for his work which will be on view in the window of his shop for a few days. The outfit has been made to the order of Mrs J. T. Thomson, of Lennel, Gladstone. Cukiositiks in Writing. — Professorßruylants,of the University of Lovain, is credited with a curious discovery. He writes a word with a pencil on a sheet of paper resting on several other sheets, from which he draws one bearing no trace of the pencil marks. On exposing it for a few minutes, however, over a heated capsule containing iodine, the paper is seen to grow yellowish, and the letters of the word stand out of a violetbrown colour. On moistening the paper the letters appear as violet on a blue ground. M. Leconte, who gives an account of this experiment, says that it will also reveal the words effaced from paper. — A new and interesting mechanical device for duplicating handwriting was recently exhibited by the Davis Level and Tool Co., Springfield, Mass. Its principle, in brief, is like that of a sewing machine and stylographic pen combined. A needle rapidly projected from the pen-point punctures the paper, making several copies at once. The number of copies depends upon the distance which the needle is allowed to project. It is said that the sixty-fourth of an inch would give four or five copies, an eighth of an inch about thirty. The needle, kept inked from a reservoir, is projected and withdrawn at great speed and deposits ink in dots on the perforated by it. The Comino Musical Contest. — The piece chosen by the executive of the New Zealand Brass Bands' Association as the test at the contest to be held in Dunedin on 28th and 30th iust., is a selection from Roisini's works, and contains sufficient to test the metal of the best bands in the colony. As the Garrison Band purpose playing it at their concert to-morrow night, the following notes on its movements and scope will be interesting to those who will have no other opportunity to hear it — at least not till after the contest. The opening is a bold unison chorus from "Semiramide" — a grand test of endurance and tonal power — followed by a chorus from the same opera given out by the tenors, with a neat accompaniment in semiquavera for the solo cornet, modulating into a short passage from the "Messe Solenelle. " This 13 followed by a cadenza for euphonium and a solo for the same instrument from "The Ode of Pope Pius IXi" giving plenty of scope for showing the proficiency of the performer. The melody is repeated ff by the trombones and cornets, with a running passage for the basses, A cornet cadenza and solo, taken from the opera " Otello" (one of the gems of the selection) follows. This modulates by an accellerando into a chorus from "The Barber of Seville," nicely arranged — the unison passage in the middle will try all the bands. A duet cadenza for soprano and tenor in triplets, leads up to the best number in the selection — " Pro Pecatus" from " Stabat Mater," arranged as a trombone solo, and giving ample opportunity for the soloist to bring out the richest tones of his instrument, A. recitative and cadenza fqr the baritone follows, after which there is a brilliant Solo for the cornet from the opera "Zolmira": this contains a fine running passage for the basse 3, and the selection concludes with a short vivace. Tailoiuno. — To hand a Bplendid assortment of the newest Trouser nga and tpitints. Our buyer sends us a monthly parcel of the pick of the newest patterns, cont-equeotlv customers can always deoend on having something lie* to at lect f rom— Tbomsoh and Bbattih.